Tidal La Assoluta system

[Audiocrack]

As I have mentioned before a part of the new 19 copper slabs are going to be used for mass loading the Wadax reference server, the Wadax reference dac, my Kondo poweramps as well as the various Tripoint Emperor / Elite ‘grounding’ units. I already tried mass loading with three copper slabs - one of which is a large (and very heavy) one on top of the Wadax reference dac on which my Zanden 2000p cd-transport is standing - and the sonic results are very impressive indeed. And I am going to add a second copper slab of the same size in order to maximize the mass loading of my Wadax reference dac: so the latter will be standing on a copper platform of 5 cm thickness and is going to be mass loaded with two copper slabs of in total 5 cm thickness.

 

[LL21]

Wow...I have to say, I have gone kg by kg across the system and in some cases, did not find much benefit with mass loading...until I hit a critical weight. Today, across the entire system, as you can see from the signature the total weight of mass damping plates (including on top of the sub), we are looking at 255kg of mass loading across the entire system.

 

[Audiocrack]

Wow...I have to say, I have gone kg by kg across the system and in some cases, did not find much benefit with mass loading...until I hit a critical weight. Today, across the entire system, as you can see from the signature the total weight of mass damping plates (including on top of the sub), we are looking at 255kg of mass loading across the entire system.

Wow, that is very impressive indeed Lloyd!

 

[Audiocrack]

Some interesting additions to the LA system lie ahead of me. Have not disclosed all of them yet on WBF. I will start with a relatively ‘small one’ as regards investment (but of course I hope it will be a significant step as regards sonic improvement): I just ordered the Aardvark isolator. Eduardo, the mastermind of Aardvark, prefers the term ‘isolator’ to the term ‘filter’ that is usually being used .

I refer to Roy Gregory’s review of the Aardvark isolator and hope to receive this piece in about 2-3 weeks.

Aardvark In-line RJ45 Filter – - Gy8

Earbuds for your Ethernet?

gy8.eu

 

[LL21]

Some interesting additions to the LA system lie ahead of me. Have not disclosed all of them yet on WBF. I will start with a relatively ‘small one’ as regards investment (but of course I hope it will be a significant step as regards sonic improvement): I just ordered the Aardvark isolator. Eduardo, the mastermind of Aardvark, prefers the term ‘isolator’ to the term ‘filter’ that is usually being used .

I refer to Roy Gregory’s review of the Aardvark isolator and hope to receive this piece in about 2-3 weeks.

Aardvark In-line RJ45 Filter – - Gy8

Earbuds for your Ethernet?

gy8.eu

great stuff! If you have a chance to hear the Waversa filter, let us know. I have the Waversa Ref Int Plus (RJ45) in between the Transport and DAC.

 

[joaovieira]

Very interested on the results of the Aardvark. thank you for sharing

 

[Audiocrack]

Very interested on the results of the Aardvark. thank you for sharing

You are most welcome. Will gladly share my listening impressions once the Aardvark isolator has been installed and has settled in my system. Eduardo informed me that is commendable to experiment in order to find out where the Aardvark isolator is the most effective: on the side of the server or on the side of the router. If I understood Eduardo correctly, the latter may proof in the end the most beneficial (of course one could insert the Aardvark isolators on both sides, but (for now) I have ordered one isolator).

 

[Audiocrack]

I am listening now for a few hours to the Kondo Gakuoh mk ik poweramps in my LA system. Turned out that these amps are almost new, that is they played only for about 40 hours. In my experience the Kondo amps need at least 500 hours to consider them more or less played in. The Gakuohs mk ii are furthermore using ‘standard’ tubes, so no nos valves or top of the line 300b tubes. That said, the quality of these Gakuoh mk ii amps shine through immediately.

 

[Audiohertz2]

As it should ...!

 

[Audiocrack]

As it should ...!

Absolutely!

 

[Audiocrack]

Tidal Audio La Assoluta – M & S | Ultimate High-Fidelity

www.monoandstereo.com

 

[Audiocrack]

It is impossible to ‘review’ an audio component that needs a substantial amount of additional playing hours before it can be considered to be (fully) broken in. So what the Kondo Gakuoh mk ii amps are in the end really capable of once they are completely ‘ready’ is difficult to predict.

However, what I can conclude after playing with these new Kondo amps for about one and a half day is:
- the new Gakuoh mk ii amps are very ‘silent’ amps, that is more ‘silent’ than mk I version.
- as a consequence they are very fluid, non mechanical, sounding.
- they are capable of creating a wide and deep soundstage.
- although rated as ‘only’ being 20 watts while my mk I version is 30 watts, the Gakuohs mk ii do not sound less powerful than my Gakuohs mk I. In combination with my (quite efficient and with an easy impedance curve) LA’s and all my Tripoint grounding they sound very - and to some undoubtedly surprisingly - dynamic.
- as the mk I version the Gakuohs mk ii push pull amps are able to control the woofers of the LA’s very effectively. Actually the owner of the new Gakuohs could hardly belief how impressive the low end / bass presentation of the system sounds.

Although I do not believe anymore that a new version of an audio component always sounds better than the previous version, the Gakuoh mk II is a better amplifier than my mark I version. In particular I am impressed with the utter liquidity/ non mechanicalness of the Gakuohs mk II amps. In combination with (in particular) the diamond tweeter and diamond midrange units of the LA’s and all my Tripoint grounding the music presentation is so completely without artifacts / distortion that the owner of the Gakuoh mk II amps mentioned yesterday at a certain moment to me that the sound was in his view maybe too beautiful: although very dynamic he missed a certain ‘rawness’. In that respect I respectfully disagree with him: audiophiles are in my view ‘used to’ (a certain amount of) distortion in audio set ups. Only very few audiophiles go at great length with top notch grounding to get rid off of the nasty distortion that is created by our audio components.

Anyway, I will be able to keep listening to and enjoying the Gakuoh mk II amps till Monday: then they will be picked up by the owner again.

 

[Audiocrack]

 

[Audiocrack]

 

[Audiocrack]

 

[DasguteOhr]

As I have mentioned before a part of the new 19 copper slabs are going to be used for mass loading the Wadax reference server, the Wadax reference dac, my Kondo poweramps as well as the various Tripoint Emperor / Elite ‘grounding’ units. I already tried mass loading with three copper slabs - one of which is a large (and very heavy) one on top of the Wadax reference dac on which my Zanden 2000p cd-transport is standing - and the sonic results are very impressive indeed. And I am going to add a second copper slab of the same size in order to maximize the mass loading of my Wadax reference dac: so the latter will be standing on a copper platform of 5 cm thickness and is going to be mass loaded with two copper slabs of in total 5 cm thickness.

I can say that I had a similar experience with the Acapella base and the speed block on the large loading lid. much better audibility in the depth and width of the stage. The bass got more structure and individual tones could be heard better.

Speed block 11kg mass

 

[LL21]

Great reading again, Audiocrack! Enjoy! Do you think your future includes the mark ii?

 

[Audiocrack]

Great reading again, Audiocrack! Enjoy! Do you think your future includes the mark ii?

Would love to but …a lot of ‘audio spending’ lies already ahead of me without the Gakuoh mk II amps (and I am not only referring to the Tripoint Audio ‘goodies’ that will come my way). But nothing wrong with dreaming and hoping, right?

 

[LL21]

Absolutely right!

 

[Audiocrack]

Another day of intense listening to the Gakuoh mk II amps lies behind me. Interesting is that these new amps are rated ‘only’ 20 watts while my Gakuoh mk I amps are - according to the Kondo website - 30 watts. But the new mk II version sounds more powerful than my mk I version.

As mentioned earlier the most impressive aspect of the Gakuoh mk II amps is the gorgeous fluidity/non-mechanicalness. However, there is one aspect of the mk II version that is currently not to my liking: the tonality. It sounds somewhat ‘whitish’ to my ears. But I suppose that is a matter of (i) the tubes being (brand) new; they need (much) more hours and (ii) the choice of tubes. Kondo delivered these new amps with Psvane 300b valves, EH 6072 and 6CG7 tubes as well as Gold Lion GZ34 rectifiers. For example the Takatsuki or Western Electric 300b tubes are imo (clearly) better than the Psvane 300b valves, while a NOS metal base gz34 rectifier ‘crushes’ the Gold Lion GZ34. So in that regard there is a lot to win.

If I am informed correctly the Gakuoh mk II amps can be ordered from the Kondo factory with Takatsuki 300b tubes, albeit at additional costs. If the latter is true (extra costs for the Takatsuki 300b valves), I find this quite irritating or even hard to accept. In my view amps with a rrp of EUR 115 000,- should be delivered with the top 300b valves that are being manufactured today without extra charge (such as the Takatsuki or Western Electric 300b’s).